Drake relives his bar mitzvah glory days onstage with the Backstreet Boys
Oh, my God. Drake’s back again — in Toronto to perform with the Backstreet Boys.
On Saturday, the Canadian singer and rapper joined the boy band in concert for a crowd-pleasing rendition of “I Want It That Way” — a Backstreet Boys classic that holds a special place in his heart. Drake, who was born in Toronto, agreed to make a surprise appearance on the group’s DNA world tour after bumping into one of the Backstreet Boys “at a restaurant the other night.”
Before the song began, Drake took a moment to reminisce about a middle-school crush — his fire, his one desire, etc. — who approached him at his bar mitzvah and asked him to dance to “I Want It That Way” when he was 13.
Out of the blue Thursday, Drake announced he’ll be releasing his seventh studio album, ‘Honestly, Nevermind,’ at 9 p.m. Pacific. Here’s how to listen.
“This girl that I was in love with came up to me while one of the greatest songs in the world was playing ... and it was the first time I ever felt acknowledged. It was the first time I ever felt like I had a shot at being cool,” Drake told the crowd.
“If she could see me now ... Like I said, this is one of the greatest songs in music history. I’ll be onstage for it. I’ll try to sing along to it. It’s called ‘I Want It That Way.’ Let’s go.”
The first COVID-era dance album that actually sounds like catching a superflu at a warehouse party, it’ll likely be the most divisive record of his career.
For the next four minutes, Drake harmonized with Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean and Howie Dorough as the honorary sixth Backstreet Boy. At one point, Dorough even infused some lyrics from Drake’s 2013 hit, “Hold On We’re Going Home,” into the performance.
“I really made it,” the Grammy winner captioned a photo of himself onstage with the Backstreet Boys in his Instagram Story.
The epic collab comes two weeks after Drizzy unexpectedly released his seventh studio album, “Honestly, Nevermind.” Among the most popular tracks on the record are “Sticky,” “Massive” and “Jimmy Cooks,” featuring rapper 21 Savage.
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